LOGINAva's POV"Get the doors open!" Nathan shouted, fumbling with the keys as we broke through the last of the tree line into the small clearing where the car sat waiting.Thorne reached the car first, wrenching the back door open. "Get in, now!"I climbed inside, curling around Kaelen as I slid across the seat, and Thorne dove in right behind me, pulling the door shut just as Mira scrambled into the front passenger seat."Nathan, drive!" I screamed.Nathan threw himself into the driver's seat, jamming the key into the ignition with shaking hands. The engine roared to life just as the first of Darien's guards burst through the tree line behind us, torches and weapons catching the moonlight."Go, go, go!" Mira shouted.The tires spun for one agonizing second against loose dirt before catching, and the car lurched forward hard enough to throw me back against the seat, my arms locking tight around Kaelen to shield him from the jolt.Through the rear window, I watched Darien break out of the
Ava's POVGuards lunged from both sides of the platform, but Nathan was already there, cutting through them, buying me every second he could."Get to Kaelen!" I heard Thorne suddenly shouting, slamming his shoulder into the nearest guard. Thorne?!I didn't wait for another minute, I hit the platform steps at a dead run, my eyes locked on Velra, on my son held against her chest like a shield."Give him to me!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "He's mine...he's not yours!""He will be, the second this binding is finished!" Velra shouted back, backing away toward the priest, clutching Kaelen tighter. "You're too late, Ava! You've always been too late!""Stop this!" I begged, my hands shaking as I reached the top of the steps. "Please, he's just a baby, he doesn't belong to your pack, he belongs with me!"The priest, still frozen with his fingers hovering near Kaelen's forehead, looked between Velra and me, uncertainty flickering across his face for the first time. "My Lady, if there's a di
Darien's POV "This ceremony must be flawless. There can be no mistakes, no interruptions, no room for anyone to challenge the legitimacy of the binding." I said to the priest."I understand, Alpha. I have performed many binding ceremonies in my years. This one will be no different.""This one is very different." I corrected her sharply."This one is binding a child who isn't hers by birth. That makes it more complex, more delicate. The magic must be strong enough to sever his connection to his real mother and forge a new one with Velra. Can you do that?"The priestess hesitated for just a moment before nodding. "Yes, Alpha. As long as the circle is perfect and the ritual is performed correctly, the binding will hold.""See that it does." I said, my voice carrying a clear threat.I turned away from the platform and surveyed the rest of the hall. The seating area spread out in front of the platform in a semicircle. Rows and rows of wooden benches were being arranged by workers who were
Pearl's POV “What the hell are you saying, Mom, Dad?” I shot up from the chair so fast the lilac bridesmaid dress nearly knocked over the vanity table behind me. I hate this dress. I have hated this dress since Vivienne picked it out three months ago and announced it was what her bridal train would be wearing, because Vivienne never once in her life considered whether something worked for anyone other than her.But I still wore it. I wear things that don't fit me so that my family can have what they need. Story of my life.“Pearl, you have to save your family…” Mom started, stepping toward me with that face. I know that face. She pulls it out every time she needs me to clean up one of Vivienne's messes.It has always been like that. I've always been the one clearing Vivienne’s mess, every fuck time. They are always doing everything for her as if I'm not their daughter. "By getting married to a complete stranger?" I cut her off. "Mom, do you hear yourself right now? Do you actually h
Darien's POV "This ceremony must be flawless. There can be no mistakes, no interruptions, no room for anyone to challenge the legitimacy of the binding." I said to the priest. "I understand, Alpha. I have performed many binding ceremonies in my years. This one will be no different." "This one is very different." I corrected her sharply. "This one is binding a child who isn't hers by birth. That makes it more complex, more delicate. The magic must be strong enough to sever his connection to his real mother and forge a new one with Velra. Can you do that?" The priestess hesitated for just a moment before nodding. "Yes, Alpha. As long as the circle is perfect and the ritual is performed correctly, the binding will hold." "See that it does." I said, my voice carrying a clear threat. I turned away from the platform and surveyed the rest of the hall. The seating area spread out in front of the platform in a semicircle. Rows and rows of wooden benches were being arranged by wo
Briane's POV The clock on the wall ticked louder than it had any right to. I sat curled up on the couch where Ava had been just an hour ago, my knees pulled to my chest, watching the front door like it might swing open any second with news—good or bad, I didn't know which I was more afraid of. "You need to stop staring at that door." Rhea said from the kitchen, though when I glanced over, she was doing the exact same thing to the window. "Look who's talking." I said, and she huffed out a small laugh, but it didn't reach her eyes. She came and sat beside me, tucking her legs underneath her. "Do you think they've made it there yet?" I checked my phone for what felt like the hundredth time. No messages. No missed calls. "It's been almost forty minutes. They should be close, if not already there." "I hate this part." Rhea admitted, wrapping her arms around herself. "The waiting. At least when you're in the middle of danger, you can do something. You can fight, run, react. But this—"
Alpha Darien’s POV “No!” I gasped, my chest heaving as I tried to push away again. But he was relentless. Each bite, each claw, stripped me of what I was. My flesh ripped and blood sprayed everywhere. My body was breaking piece by piece beneath him, and I couldn’t stop it. For the first time in
Ava's POV "Ava!" Briane’s voice rang out, pulling me out of my rushing thoughts. My heart skipped painfully. No, no, no. Not now. Not again. I can’t be exposed now. Every time I try, something ruins it. Why can’t I ever succeed in my plan? Am I destined to die here? Is this my fate? My stomach tw
Ava's POV I’m fucking loving the look on Lyra’s face. She looked like she had just witnessed a woman being slit right in front of her. Her wide eyes, her mouth falling open, the way she kept glancing at me like I was some disgusting bug. How dare she look down on me like that?Thankfully, Thorne h
Ava's POV My gaze stayed locked on the door like it would open any second and Thorne would walk through. I moved slowly and sat on the bed, but my chest kept rising and falling fast, like I had just been running. I pressed my palm against my stomach, trying to calm the butterflies that refused to







